Ratchet & Clank is a third person action shooter with puzzle elements. Released in conjunction with the movie with the same name, it follows an upgraded story line of the first Ratchet & Clank. The game is narrated by Captain Quark as he tells Ratchet’s story to a fellow inmate in prison.

Ratchet is attempting to join the Galactic Rangers on his home planet of Veldin, only to be dismissed by Captain Quark once he finishes the qualification course. Following the escape of Clank (who crash lands on Veldin), the duo set off to save the galaxy from Chairman Drek following a trail of infobots.

As in previous games, both Ratchet and Clank are playable. Ratchet is aided by Clank in movement with the Helipack, which can later be upgraded to the Thrusterpack. Some planets you can make use of the Jetpack, which allows Ratchet to fly in the air. There are times when the player takes control of Clank, to escape from Victor von Ion, or traverse puzzles using Gadgebots.

Players can both level up for both Ratchet (to a maximum health of 200) and his weapons (maximum level of 5, Omega unlocks a maximum of 10). Once a weapon is fully leveled up, the Omega version can be bought in Challenge Mode (once the accompanying holocards have been found). On top of leveling up the weapons, they can also be upgraded using Raritanium. Upgrading is done through a grid in the weapon vendor, with special unlocks once certain tiles have been surrounded by basic upgrades.

Collectibles include Holocards (which collecting a set gives the player added in-game bonuses, or allows unlocking of Omega Weapons in Challenge Mode), and Gold Bolts (which are used to unlock image galleries, appearance settings and cheats). Previously mentioned Challenge Mode is unlocked once the player finishes the game, if selected, the player re-starts the game with harder enemies, unlocks the Insomniac Museum, and allows the purchase of Omega Weapons.